Preview

Sky Burial Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
647 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sky Burial Essay Example
Sky Burial Essay
‘The harshness of the Tibetan landscape demands resilience and sacrifice. In what ways does Shu Wen’s experience transform her personality and beliefs?’
Xinran’s novel ‘Sky Burial’ outlines the story of a young woman on a harsh quest for love. The Harsh and demanding landscape of Tibet changes Wen in more ways than one throughout the text, transforming her Personality and beliefs, but there is one thing that remains the same in Wen, her love for Kenjun. Wen’s harsh experiences in Tibet changed her dramatically but in the end, her sacrificing Tibetan lifestyle gives Wen a new found strength.
Throughout the text Wen faces the demanding and harsh landscape of Tibet, transforming her personality from that of the average Chinese woman to a strong and highly determined Tibetan woman. Wen entered Tibet mentally weak and unable to cope with the dangers that now stood ahead of her. However thirty years transformed the personality of Wen dramatically, giving her a new found strength and determination which proved enough to survive. This was made evident during her time with the Gela family, as Wen was unable to communicate and was unaware of what was going on around her. This was difficult for Wen, and overtime before her Tibetan language grew strong, Wens determination and strength got her through probably her toughest of years in Tibet. Wen’s personality took a beating in Tibet as she was forced to sacrifice most of her Chinese past, however this gained her strength which was a key ingredient to her survival in the dangerous Tibetan terrain.
Wen’s beliefs are shifted throughout ‘Sky Burial’ as she sacrifices her Chinese lifestyle for the demanding one of the Tibetans. Wen changed many beliefs while in Tibet as she became almost unnoticeable as a Chinese woman anymore. Wen proved this as she became a Buddhist, whispering the words of the Buddhist mantra ‘Om mani padme hum’ under her breath on many occasions. Wen also began to understand the differences

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    It is through the enriched poem China… Woman Oodgeroo explores the aspect of life within different cultures and their inextricable link between their ancient cultures and their identity today. “the great wall, twins itself… like my rainbow serpent” It is through this imagery that places the audience to view the close connections each culture has to their ultimate ancestry. Comparing her aboriginal identity to China’s culture, explores story telling however, ultimately, allows the audience to make connections that ancient cultures are still present, and that may had a similar belief of the connectivity to land. It is further exploited through the strong metaphor of “falling, crushing… weeping wild flowers” that positions the audience to view that individual’s spirits and identity has not only been physically crushed due to colonisation however also mentally and emotionally drained. The alliteration promotes and demotes the strong connection of the nature world and people and the calling to be reborn, restabilised and renowned.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan Spence is a historical novel pertaining to average people living in northeastern China. Spence’s book is unlike the “typical” social Confucian society China was thought to resemble during the seventeenth century. In this book, ideas of a Confucian family are challenged and can be seen as alternative but non-the-less, Confucian throughout human interaction and specifically in individual behavior. The Confucian ideas of filial piety, suicide, and being subservient are present, yet not as prominent as historians might think in a small town known as T’an-ch’eng.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Robert H. Sharf’s “On the Mummification of Cha’n Masters in Medieval China,” Sharf argues that the importance of the body in Chan’s buddhism is evident in the mortuary rituals like mummification. This ritual signifies the attainment of the fundamental goal of “nirvana” that manifests in the emptiness of form of the individual. Sharf substantiates his claim by drawing parallels onto similar Indian and Chinese mortuary rituals, and by referring to numerous historians who provide elaborate explanations on these rituals. This critique will demonstrate that Sharf does a good job backing up his claim by providing thorough explanations of these rituals through the insights of historians and by drawing parallels onto similar practices and rituals.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the readings for this week, from Mair entries 54-59, the various author’s wrote poems to describe the life in Song China. These poets shared their stories by using beautiful imagery to describe it for them. Stories that describe the noise of rats to the paintings of bamboo, the writings of the Song poets conveyed the outlook of the Song Dynasty. Although these poems served as an art for entertainment, the poems, in a deeper way, addressed the thoughts and views of the culture in the Song.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In Jan Wong’s entrancing expose Red China Blues, she details her plight to take part in a system of “harmony and perfection” (12) that was Maoist China. Wong discloses her trials and tribulations over a course of three decades that sees her searching for her roots and her transformation of ideologies that span over two distinctive forms of Communist governments. This tale is so enticing in due part to the events the author encountered that radically changed her very existence and more importantly, her personal quest for self-discovery.…

    • 1587 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Her stepmother struck her hard in the face, her father whipped her multiple times, and her siblings blamed her for their mother’s death. Just wonder she felt, Adeline Yen Mah, with her horrid family, separation from her only loved ones; her aunt and single grandfather, and her genius mind that only her beloved Aunt Baba treasured. As it seems, this depressing novel, Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, the one who lived through it all, was the most unfortunate girl in all of eastern China.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Death Of Woman Wang Essay

    • 1581 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan D. Spence, paints a vivid picture of provincial China in the seventeenth century. Manly the life in the northeastern country of T’an-ch’eng. T’an-ch’eng has been through a lot including: an endless cycle of floods, plagues, crop failures, banditry, and heavy taxation. Chinese society in Confucian terms was a patriarchal society with strict rules of conduct. The role at this time of women, however, has historically been one of repression. The traditional ideal woman was a dependent being whose behavior was governed by the "three obedience’s and four virtues". The three obedience’s were obedience to father before marriage, the husband after marriage, and the son in case of widows. The four virtues were propriety in behavior, speech, demeanor and employment. The laws of the land and fear of shame in society dictated that men were allowed to rule over their household leaving women in a powerless state as almost a slave of the home. In P’u’s stories women are portrayed as complex characters who hold important roles in the family, but are treated with little to no respect by authority figures, and other men of higher class. In The Death of Woman Wang, Spence portrays…

    • 1581 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the eighth chapter titled “Foua and Nao Kao,” Fadiman describes the process in which Foua and her daughter, May, transform the narrator into a picturesque bride. Fadiman explained, “Foua’s work must in some way have had the intended effect, because a week later [her boyfriend] George asked [her] to marry him (103).” Though this story seems quite simple on the outside, it serves a much larger purpose within the novel. By infusing herself into the telling of the story, Fadiman portrays the idea that The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is not only a medical reference or dedication to Hmong culture, but a personal and complicated…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Burial Vault Essay

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Funerals and final expenses are a major issue for unprepared families. With the average funeral cost estimated in the range of $8,000 - $10,000 dollars, unexpected costs and fees can create significant stress for grieving family members. That's why the burial vault is such a common point of frustration for folks in this situation. They add somewhere between $900 - $7,000 dollars to the total funeral bill.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this story, Wang Lung’s life gives detailed examples of the hardships and struggles of living in a lower social class. Then, as the story progresses, the novel tells of the luxuries and customs of being wealthy. Many people can relate to this novel because it shows what life was a wealthy man and as a poor man. Nowadays, people in third world countries or are just common laborers…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Belonging Trial Paper

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Furthermore, as she comes to the realization of her connection to Chinese culture. The use of irony “but today I realize what it means to be Chinese. I am 36 years old. My mother is dead and I am on a train… I am going to China” exhibits her attempts to rekindle her ties with her culture. There is a sense of isolation evident as her mother was her last correlation to her heritage and in order…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sky Burial Theme Essay

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Love is one of many themes in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. This novel is a perfect example that everybody needs love in their life. Love can be expressed in the most indirect, but effective ways. Lily and Snow Flower became friends very quickly. They share each other’s stories and communicate on a fan that will forever be a symbol of their friendship. When Lily and Snow Flower were finally allowed to see one another, you would never catch them apart and were always by each other’s side. When Snow Flower placed her hand on Lily’s cheek, Lily realized she had found somebody who finally cared for her the way she has wanted to be cared for her whole life. This relationship was the most significant and admiring thing in her life because it brought her love, which is essential to our existence and sanity. When Lily started to wonder if Snow Flower no longer loved her, she drove herself crazy trying to move on. She could not think straight or function properly knowing Snow Flower may no longer lover her. Lily loved Snow Flower even after she was gone, and went on to spend the rest of her life grieving and obsessing over the one and only person who gave her the one thing that she truly needed and ever really wanted. Also, when Snow Flower was dying, the sworn sisters told Lily that Snow Flower had never loved them, only Lily. And once again, Lily was there for Snow Flower. Love can be expressed in many different ways, but it must be present in a person’s life or they will spend the rest of their time pining away for it, like Lily did. Just like all, Lily just wanted a place where she fit in and felt…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cattle Shed

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Imagine this: you are confined in a small room as a prisoner, forced to be a laborer because of the political preference Communism, and the love of your life is locked up in his own ‘cattle shed’. How is a person supposed to stay optimistic in these horrible living conditions? In Ding Ling’s “Sketches from the ‘Cattle Shed’”, the narrator who is placed in solitary confinement due to being a Communist struggles through her everyday life to survive. Most people would be sullen, defeated and angry, but Ling’s narrator embraces glimmers of hope through her lover’s, C., secret letters. C. is a very important character supporting Ling’s, his letters in the form of poems are inspiring, hopeful and powerful. They relieve the stress of confinement for only a moment, but the lasting effects change her outlook at the end of the story. Optimism at a time like this is crucial for the narrator and support from her lover is exactly what she needs, C. chooses his words carefully and subtly eases his lover’s tension. This is shown when the beginning and ending lines of the short story are compared and analyzed.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chinese cinderella Essay

    • 652 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Chinese Cinderella is a book written by Adeline Yen Mah. The author writes an autobiography about her own experiences and her life as a child. It is a true story about an unwanted daughter who suffered because of the unfairness of the family towards her. In this novel, Adeline illustrates the sad memoir of her own childhood, growing up in the 1940’s and 50’s and describing her struggle for acceptance from the time she was born to the age of fourteen. The author chose the title of her book as Chinese Cinderella because it is very similar to the original Cinderella story, with the main elements of a girl being unwanted, unloved and rejected by her family. There are three quotes that portray well about her experience with metaphors and similes.…

    • 652 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The two previous corresponding Interactive Orals were based on information that would help us to better understand the novel Rickshaw Boy by She Lao. We evaluated the author’s life, different aspects of Chinese culture, how Dickensian style was used, mishaps with translation, as well as other works by She Lao.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays